Noteworthy

Science & Math students win national science competition

Students from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics won first place for their age group in in one the world's largest K-12 science and technology competitions.

Posted 2008-05-15T20:08:51+00:00 - Updated 2008-05-16T14:37:47+00:00

Mark Plummer of Toshiba (second from left), presents first-place plaques to Roger Que, Lisa Zhang, Cory Li (left to right) and their coach, Robert Gotwals, (far left), from the North Carolina School of Math and Science. The team won their age group for the 2008 Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards Program. (Photo courtesy of www.exploravision.org)

Students from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham won first place for their age group in in one the world's largest K-12 science and technology competitions.

Cory Li, Roger Que, Lisa Zhang and their coach, Robert Gotwals, took the top prize for grades 10-12 in the Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards Program.

Their project, "CHIRP: Circuit for Enhanced In-Vivo Regulated Bioplastics Production," proposes a renewable, biodegradable alternative to petroleum-based plastics.

The students hope their project could lead to production of environmentally friendly bioplastic materials with a wide range of household, commercial and medical applications.

The students' project has its own Web site.

The students will travel to an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., where they will each receive a $10,000 savings bond.

The winners were picked from a pool of 4,527 teams comprising more than 14,000 students from the United States and Canada.